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Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson
The fight was for the vacant UFC light-heavyweight title, with Daniel Cormier replacing suspended rival and former champ Jon Jones. The first round began and they touch gloves. Johnson lands a leg kick, Johnson ate an eyepoke but they touch gloves and keep going. It was his right eye. Rumble drops him with a huge right, lands a few lefts and a right uppercut. Cormier gets him down briefly after Rumble swung and missed, Cormier has the standing back. Johnson was warned for grabbing the fence, Cormier slams him. 4:00. Has a hook. Rumble struggling to stand. He's standing. Cormier dragged him down. Rumble still not fully down. Stands, defending a single. Rumble lands a right and a left, Cormier kicks the leg out, has a front headlock. 3:00. Cormier staying patient. Boos. Cormier cradling the leg, too. Keeping him down. Has the head again and the leg. Rumble stands into a standing guillotine, nope just a headlock. Clinch. 2:00. Rumble breaks with a high kick and a big right, blocked high kick. Cormier lands a right, eats a big right. Cormier tries a single, Rumble stuffs it and lands a big left. Rumble switches to southpaw. Lands a hard body kick. Switches back to orthodox. Back to southpaw. 1:00. Rumble lands a counter right, they clinch. Double underhooks for DC. Short rights under. Boos. 35. 15. Boos. Cormier breaks with a left and a right, eats a right, R1 ends, 10-9 Rumble but close, could go either way. "It was a close round but let's give it to him, it doesn't matter," they told Cormier. R2 began and they touch gloves. Johnson lands a leg kick and a big right, blocks a high kick, eats a body kick, lands two hard high kicks and another, a big right and a body kick, defends a single. Cormier working hard. Johnson lands a right under. Cormier lifts him with a double, carries him, slams him, half-guard. 4:00. Cormier isolating the left arm, lands three or four rights. Hard left elbow. Isolating that arm. Going for a kimura. He has it out. Working hard. 3:00. Cormier lets it go, lands two lefts. Rumble seems tired. Cormier goes hard for the kimura again. Rumble breathing hard. Cormier lets it go for now. "Elbow!" A few lefts from Cormier. Left elbow. Another. Cormier goes for the kimura again. Rumble breathing very hard. Cormier goes hard for the kimura, loses it. Ref wants work. 2:00. Rumble seems exhausted. Cormier lands a few big rights and lefts. Left forearm, rights to body, left elbow. Covering Rumble's mouth. Rumble tries to hip escape. Rights to the body. Lefts under. Rumble trying rights from the bottom. 1:00. Boos. Rumble tries to hip escape. 35. Right elbow, another. Left elbow, a big one, two more. Another. Four more. Rumble looks to the ref. Rumble's bleeding. Left elbow, another. Side control, R2 ends, 10-9 Cormier, possible 10-8, I'll go ahead and say 10-8, Rumble stays down for a moment, shakes his head, he's up. His corner's urgent. "Use your hands, you want it or not?" R3 began and they touch gloves. Cormier lands a leg kick. Rumble lands a right uppercut and a high kick, a left, slips. Cormier turtles him up, oh god... Rumble standing. Right hammerfists under from Cormier. Johnson gets a double. Cormier standing. Rumble gets the back. Clinch. Rumble is very tired. Cormier working a single. 4:00. Working hard. Rumble defending as hard as he can, lands a right and another, stuffs it. Cormier works a double, Rumble defending. Slips, Cormier gets the back. Lefts under, dragging him around. Rumble reversing, standing. Cormier sprawls a single. Takes the back, rights under. 3:00. "Get up man!" "Don't give up, let's go!" Cormier thinking choke, gets both hooks. He's tightening it. Rumble taps. Shit. Rumble still sitting devastated visibly on his stool. 12th light-heavyweight champion. 2:39 R3. Rumble puts the belt on him. "Jon Jones, get your shit together! I'm waiting for you." Leaves the cage. Hugs his family. Joe interviews Rumble. Awkward interview. "He was just the better man. I wasn't surprised he could take my shots. Do you see the size of his head? He's got a big melon."